Repurposing Garage Sale Items to Create Home Décor

Posted on March 19, 2020 by Home

We love garage sales. And when it comes to creating a unique home space, you can’t go far wrong with repurposing garage sale items for your décor. You have such a wide choice of items available when you start looking through second hand items, and although most of it may be rubbish, most people have a couple of gems hidden away. If you want to create some original and quirky home décor, your local garage sales should be your first choice. Keep reading to learn more!

Why Try Repurposing Garage Sale Items?

Interesting quirky items from a bygone age can look great in your home, especially if you add your own designs and flair. Old style furniture may look worn out and tatty when you buy it, but repurposing garage sale items like these can look fantastic once you have finished with them.

For old wooden drawers and wardrobes, simply rubbing down and repainting will instantly give them a new lease of life. Reupholstering old chairs with some cool modern material will not only save you money, it will look unique and stylish as well.

The important thing to remember about old furniture is that in many cases it was built to last. You can find some real bargains out there, such as book shelves and occasional tables, dining room tables, and more. Re-painting, or sanding down, and re-varnishing is often enough to bring vintage furniture back to life.

More Items to Repurpose

Quirky items such as vintage birdcages and coat stands can create a wonderful modern Victorian appeal. Ornaments too can have their unique charm especially if you have a theme in mind such as vintage, nautical, or animals.

Old records and old record sleeves can make wonderful household ornaments, especially if you are musical. Old instruments, such as guitars or native drums can provide a musical ambiance – and you never know, you might pick up a vintage Les Paul or other great bargain hidden amongst the packing cases and general junk.

Plant pots and old fashioned kitchen utensils can add a homely appeal to your kitchen or even your garden. Old fashioned tins and containers can be made into interesting arrangements for your living space. An orange box makes a cool bookshelf or umbrella stand. Big glass jars that you fill with colored stones or crystals will liven up any dark corners in your home.

Storage space is always important. Old style cases and valises can be repurposed as storage spaces and even used as occasional tables if you stick them all together.  

The important thing to remember about garage sales is that you will never know exactly what you might find. And for the keen home decorator an eye for style will enable you to see the true possibilities of any object that other browsers may just consider as junk.

Upcycling and repurposing garage sale items is fashionable right now. We live in such a manufactured mass produced world that stepping outside the chain stores and into the garage sale is not only good for the planet; it can provide a fantastic décor to any home.

How to Make a Chalkboard Desk

Posted on March 19, 2020 by Home

Have you ever considered a chalkboard desk? It’s a table that you can actually write on that is hard wearing, easy to clean, and stylish. Keep reading to learn more!

Why Create a Chalkboard Desk?

Chalkboard desks are becoming popular right now in the home and are also beginning to be seen in cool coffee shops, offices, schools, and everywhere else. After all, what is more satisfying than writing on your table as you eat or sip a coffee? It is a great way to jot down ideas or to have an instant game of Tic-Tac-Toe. Even better, making your own chalkboard desk is very easy and inexpensive and can make a unique and stylish addition to your home.

What You Need:

To start making your own chalkboard desk, you’ll need a piece of board for the chalkboard in the size of table you want. A 3′ x 5′ x 3/4″ board is a good choice, but this is up to you.

You will also need the chalk paint to paint the board. This is available in a choice of colors, so you don’t just have to stick to traditional white or black. We have found this on sale in a range of great colors, including shocking pink, blue, grey, or purple, so check out your local hardware store. 

You will also need a couple of trestles to support the table (we found a couple of black ones from IKEA). You will also need two pieces of wood glued to the reverse of the table to hold the trestles in place. For the size mentioned here, 2 x 3 feet sections of 1 x 2 feet will work perfectly. Finally, you will need some aluminum extrusions to fit on the side of your table as chalk holders.

You will also need a power drill and screws to fix it all together and brushes to paint on the chalk paint. You should ensure that you have some plastic sheeting to cover the floor while you are painting.

Directions:

First, glue your two pieces of wood to the reverse of the wood and leave to dry. You should weigh this down in order for it to stick correctly. Follow the instructions on the bottle.

Then, paint the board with the chalk paint and leave it to dry. You will probably need two coats.

Cut your aluminum extrusions so that they are the same length as your table edge. It is easy to cut with a small hacksaw. Make evenly spaced holes in the extrusions with a drill, and line up the holes with the table edge making holes in the table. Screw the aluminum extrusions to the table edge using woodscrews.

Your chalkboard desk is now ready to use. All you need now are some chalk to put in the chalk holder and an eraser, so that you can wipe the table clean when required.

Whether you want your chalkboard desk as your dining table, a creative space or both, this simple idea will provide loads of fun, and it looks pretty stylish too.

How to Build Your Own Arts and Crafts Style Mailbox

Posted on March 19, 2020 by Home

Your mailbox is important. It is one of the first things that people notice about your home, and it is one of those tiny details that say a lot about you! You might have a tidy garden and a nicely presented front porch or front door, but a tasteless or cliche mailbox may ruin the whole impression. If you want to go one step further in creating a perfect exterior for your home, an arts and crafts style mailbox will provide the perfect finishing touch. Keep reading to learn more.

Why Arts and Crafts Style?

The arts and crafts style was built upon an idea of creating good quality household objects, which are beautiful as well as functional. This movement looked back to the craftsmen of the past who built for durability, and this style has a timeless appeal.

An arts and crafts mailbox can be simple to make if you are a woodworker and results can be stunning.

If you are a proficient woodworker, building your own arts and crafts style mailbox from scratch should not be too difficult. The best type of wood to use is oak because it is so hard wearing, but cherry, ash, or walnut will also work well.

To make an average-sized mailbox, you will need around 3 feet of wood to fully complete the project. The wood should be ¾ inch thick ,which you can probably find ready planed. You will also need the right tools, such as an orbital sander, mitre saw, jig saw, and a router.

The best way to build your own arts and crafts style mailbox is to follow a plan. As with all woodworking projects you will need the right tools – this is not a project for a beginner.

Tips for Building the Arts and Crafts Style Mailbox

Shapes can vary. Choose between a basic conventional long base mailbox, or you could use an upright design. The whole point of the arts and craft movement was to make even humble household objects beautiful. An arts and crafts mailbox is generally made of wood that has been worked into intricate decoration and lettering. Many arts and crafts mailboxes also feature copper decoration.

That said, making a beautiful mailbox is not a difficult task. The design, after all, is fairly simple and you can make a simple mailbox over a weekend. Use pressure treated wood, and if you don’t have a plan, why not follow the dimensions of your existing mailbox?

The important points to remember is that your mailbox must be watertight and be easy for the mailman to use and for you to retrieve your letters. You will need to add hinges to the roof. You will also consider where to fix the mailbox and how.

Painting your mailbox and adding some personal decorations, such as the house number, will also make your mailbox look good. You can spray paint or hand paint the finished mailbox, or if you are pleased with the appearance of the wood, adding water resistant varnish will keep it looking good all season.

If you enjoyed this project, be sure to check out all our other ideas for seasonal DIY wood projects!

What to Include in Kids Wood Crafts Kits

Posted on March 16, 2020 by Home

Kids love to make things. Doing this is good for their development too, because it helps boost creativity and practical skills. However, if you are not overly practical yourself, it can be hard to know what to include in kids’ wood crafts kits. It can be hard to know where to start. Keep reading to learn more!

Get These Kids Wood Crafts Kits

The first point to consider is whether your child can actually complete a wood project. If it is too difficult, he or she will be put off for life, and this will do nothing for confidence. So for first attempts, keep any project small and achievable. Once your child gets the wood working bug, he or she can then move onto more advanced projects.

A great place to start is with a bird feeder. One we like comes with pre-cut wooden pieces, nails, and screws that you just fit together. Once the bird feeder is assembled, your child can customize and paint – the paints are included in the kit. With a little help, a child as young as age 5 can do this.

There is a range of kids wood crafts kits on the market for the slightly older age group. The Kraftic Woodworking Building Kit gives your child all the necessary equipment to make his or her own wooden toys. The kit comprises 80 pieces of wood, a child size hammer, nails, sandpaper, glue, and a storage bag. There are instructions and plans provided too.

What Tools Will I Need?

Once your child has got the wood working bug, you may want to buy him or her a set of woodworking tools. Some Kids wood crafts kits provide real tools for smaller hands, so that he or she can help you out in the shed or make his or her own project. One we liked came with a leather carry belt and real tools, including a claw hammer, screwdrivers, pliers, and more.

It is always important to supervise your child when using kids’ wood crafts kits to avoid any accidents and injury. In addition, it is important to consider your child’s general health and resistance whatever they are doing. 

Help Support Kids’ Health

Growing children need to boost their health, especially when they are busy, so health supplements can help strengthen immunity to common ailments such as colds and sore throats. One of the best natural brands is Gaia Herbs, a supplement company that provides a great range of health boosting supplements for all ages.

Kids Defence Support for Immune Health from Gaia Herbs is an alcohol-free dietary supplement in drop form that is designed to support a healthy immune response. Use it at the first sign of any adverse symptoms, such as a sore throat or cough. This liquid supplement will help soothe symptoms and boost your child’s immune system.

Kids Defence Support for Immune Health is specifically designed for children. It tastes very good and it is easy to use. The supplement contains only natural extracts, including echinacea, ginger, cayenne pepper and elderflowers which are all known to improve health and immunity.

How to Fix Wooden Drawers that Stick

Posted on February 19, 2020 by Home

A wooden drawer that sticks can be a constant source of annoyance. Luckily, help is at hand. If you want to find how to fix wooden drawers that stick, follow our simple guide to stop this problem.

Try a Lubricant

You might find that simply lubricating the drawers will be enough to get them moving again. Try rubbing paraffin or WD-40 onto the areas where the drawers meet and you may find that this is an effective solution. However, you don’t have to restrict your repair to using these materials because most lubricants will do.

Try Candle Wax

You can try rubbing candle wax, using wax paper rubbed over the area or even hand soap as a temporary repair. All of these can be surprisingly effective and can be carried out using common household materials that you may have lying around. Olive oil, vegetable oil, or even butter may be enough to free up a sticking drawer, although we don’t recommend you do use butter, or you will find it smells once it becomes rancid! Still, we hope you get the idea that practically any lubricant can be used to free up a sticky drawer

Try Drawer Sliding Tape

For a longer-lasting repair, or if the above tip does not work, you can apply drawer sliding tape to the parts of the drawer that rub together. Drawer sliding tape or nylon adhesive tape is on sale from any hardware store and is not expensive.

Your first step to applying the tape is to prepare the area by cleaning it and removing any grease or residue. It is a good idea to sand it down so that your wood can accommodate the tape and that it sticks to it with perfect adhesion. You might want to vacuum clean the drawer tool to remove any dust. As with all DIY projects, good preparation is key to success and these tips on how to fix wooden drawers that stick is a perfect example of this simple rule.

Once you have prepared the area, stick the adhesive tape to the edges of the drawer so that when they meet, the surface is smooth and can slide.

Learning how to fix wooden drawers that stick is basic common sense. However, you do have to take this simple job seriously. If your tape does not stick to the drawer or you fail to cut it to size properly, smear butter on the joints or do any other crazy idea like this, a botched repair will only make the problem worse.  Once you have repaired one wooden drawer, it is surprising how often you may be tempted to fix wooden drawers that stick when you are visiting family or staying in accommodation elsewhere such as motels or guest houses.

Ways to Launch a Hair Salon in Your Home

Posted on February 16, 2020 by Beauty

Opening a hair salon in your home is a big undertaking. You might already be cutting and styling hair for your close friends and family at your kitchen table, but if you want paying customers too, you can’t just put a sign up that you are open for business. It is illegal to run a hair salon from your home unless you fulfil certain criteria. Strictly speaking it is technically illegal for a cosmetologist or hairdresser to do hair at home.

However if you do want to launch a hair salon in your home you can do it just as long as you go through the correct procedures and have the available space. First up, you need to make a business plan. Research is important so find out what the hair salon market is like in your area and identify your target customers. If it all looks good on paper you could be on to a winning idea!

How to Get Started

The law states that your hair salon should be divided from your living space by a permanent wall and have a separate entrance.

Before you start building, you should check with your local government office. You will need a license to open, and there may be other requirements such as a fire department licence and more. You will need to show your cosmetology licence as well. You need to get all your paperwork in order for your hair salon before you can open.

All this might sound like a hassle, but owning a hair salon and running it from your home can be fun and extremely profitable. Your home might be in just the right area which is crying out for a hair salon.

Choose Natural Hair Products

Once your hair salon is fully operational, you will need to think about hair products. Choosing toxin-free, organic hair products for your clients is ideal. One great product that caught our eye is Herbatint – a natural ammonia free and paraben free color range. Herbatint covers grey hair in one application and provides a fantastic choice of colors from the wild vibrant deep hues such as red and purple, to natural tints and highlights.

Herbatint is a well established family business based in Italy and is well known for its wide range of natural permanent colors. Because all Herbatint products are natural, they are great for nourishing your hair. They include herbal extracts such as witch hazel, rhubarb, and white birch. All hair colors are available and all shades give long lasting fantastic results.

Extremely popular in Europe as well and now available in the USA, Herbatint is probably the best hair color brand on the market today, yet is still inexpensive. So for the hair salon owner who needs to be mindful of costs but wants to provide good quality hair care, Herbatint is a winner all round. 

As for other natural hair products for salons, there are several great options out there. We wish you lots of luck in your efforts to launch a hair salon in your home.

DIY Woodland Creature Decorations for Your Cabin

Posted on February 10, 2020 by Home

Decorating your cabin or family room with woodland creature decorations is not only easy to do, it is very fun and effective too! These types of rustic decorations create a peaceful and natural vibe in your space and transform an ordinary room into something much more stylish and comfortable that your guests will admire and your family will love.

Where to Get Woodland Creature Decorations

One easy way to do this is to simply buy some animal prints. Alternatively, find animal images that you like in magazines or even printed on wrapping paper. The choice is up to you. Add your pictures to traditional wooden picture frames and hang them in your cabin.

Thrift shops can be a fantastic resource when you are thinking about decorating your cabin. Look for woodland animal inspired furnishings, such as deer antler coat racks or other woodland creature decorations like cute squirrels, foxes, or bears to add to your ambiance. Old paintings can also create a great atmosphere. Rustic style antiques such as old clocks, umbrella racks, boot scrapers are things you’ll find while browsing the thrift shops and flea markets. 

DIY Woodland Creature Decorations

If you are handy with DIY skills, why not try making your own woodland creature decorations? Try buying a stencil kit of woodland animals and decorating the wooden walls in your cabin with them. The beauty of decorating a cabin in a rustic style is that your painting does not have to be perfect. The whole aim is that it should like homespun and individual, so you can do pretty much anything and it will still be effective.

Making a rustic sign for your cabin is easy and only requires rudimentary DIY skills. Get four 24 inch lengths of pine (total length 96 inches), or use pallet wood and cut to the required size. Drill the pieces of wood together and then apply a wood stain – grey can be a fantastic neutral color for signs, but the choice is up to you.

Choose stencils – or if you have a steady hand, paint your own lettering. There are plenty of lettering stencils available, so this does give you plenty of scope if you want a slightly professional finish. On the other hand, writing your own sign is far more individual. Draw the lettering onto the sign and mask the area around the letters.

Paint the sign either by spraying (if you are using a stencil) or by hand. Leave it to dry and then coat with varnish to protect it.

What about a woodland creature inspired by a hanging mobile? Although these are often associated with nurseries and small children, they can look great hanging in a corner of your cabin. Add hanging crystals to catch the light matched with wooden animal cutouts and pine cones. Wind chimes too can look fantastic too and are just the thing for any balcony or porch.

Woodland creature decorations are fun and can help make your cabin look like a charming woodland home. Once you start creating the theme in your cabin, you will never run out of ideas or inspiration. 

How to Make a Wooden Necklace

Posted on February 7, 2020 by Home

We love wooden necklaces. Whether you go for something fashionably chunky or prefer tiny polished wooden beads, you have plenty of choices when using this medium.

How to make a wooden necklace will vary of course depending upon your skills and your taste, but it can be surprisingly easy to do. In addition, you will know that your wooden necklace is totally unique and personal only to you. A handmade wooden necklace can make a great gift, and who knows, once you get the bug, you could have your own inexpensive jewelry making business.

How to Get Started

A wooden bead necklace is surprisingly easy and does not require any woodworking or skills, just a visit to your local hobby store. You can buy polished wooden beads from hobby stores and also the cording and fixings that you will need to support them.

Simply thread the wooden beads onto the cording until you have about ¼ of an inch remaining at both ends. You can now fit the cord end caps at each end with some pliers and then fit the clasp, also with pliers.

If you want a chunky statement piece, the process is exactly the same, although you will need to allow for the greater weight of the beads when you are buying the clasp and the fixings.

How to Make a Wooden Pendant

Making a wooden pendant necklace is probably the easiest place to start when you are figuring out how to make wooden jewelry from scratch.

Your first step is to shape your wood. You will need a small hand saw or Dremel to do this, and then smooth the edges with sandpaper. The size should be around 32mm x 25mm of around 5mm thickness. Once it is fully sanded, you should be able to see the grain of the wood.

Mark a hole with pencil and then drill a small hole, so you can hang the pendant on the chain.

Stain the pendant – coffee is surprisingly effective for this, or you could just oil it with mineral oil. Once you have removed excess oil and left the pendant to dry, add the bail so that you now have a pretty pendant with a professional look. This can be squeezed shut with pliers. Once you add the chain your wooden pendant is now ready to wear.

Once you find out how to make a wooden necklace, you will be able to expand your skills to take you beyond the basic level. Adding some statement beads or mixing up silver beads, porcelain, or glass can look great when combined with wood. Pendants can be highly polished or have added decoration by the way of precise carvings in simple shapes.

However you decide to take your jewelry plans forward, learning how to make a wooden necklace can become a fun hobby and a profitable side hustle. Happy crafting!

DIY Beach Decorations for Bathroom

Posted on February 4, 2020 by Home

Beach decorations can look great in your bathroom, bringing the natural world into your home and creating a seaside atmosphere. Fixing up your own DIY beach decorations for bathroom settings is easy to do and is an inexpensive way of personalizing your bathroom. Keep reading to learn how!

Beach Decorations for Bathroom Ideas

Stripped distressed planking can look very effective. If you don’t want to bother adorning your cupboards or your door with genuine recovered bleached-out wood, you can find fablon (decorative adhesive film) that looks very convincing, and this is washable so it is easy to keep clean.

Sticking with the driftwood motif, finding some real bleached driftwood can help create the seaside vibe. You can use this just as an ornament or if you fix hooks, you have an attractive and individual clothes hanger.

If you are going for beach decorations for bathroom settings, why not bring home some beach-found objects, such as stones and shells? These genuine beach-found objects add a touch of authenticity to your bathroom. Adding some ornaments such as colorful fish, a starfish, or even some cool flip-flops will add a playful vibe to the beach ambiance.

The key to choosing beach decorations for your bathroom is to use objects and pictures that introduce the light, fun, and fresh air of the beach. How about some stripey material for your shower curtains, or some pictures of cool or fun beach scenes?

Let the Beach Work for Your Health Too

Now that you have got your bathroom suitably beachy, you might want to think of the other benefits of being by the seaside. One reason that we all love going to the coast is that it makes us feel so healthy and alive. Obviously, you can’t bring genuine sand, sea, and ozone-laden fresh air into your bathroom, but this doesn’t mean you have to give up on sea-inspired health benefits

Nordic Naturals is a brand that specializes in fish oil supplements. Fish oil contains omega-3 fatty acids, which are extremely important for your health. Omega-3 fatty acids help maintain mood and fight anxiety and depression. They can lower the risk of heart disease, improve joint health, eye health, and more. For children, omega-3 fatty acids are crucial and can help prevent ADHD. Also, try fish oil supplements from Vital Nutrients.

Another great option for health is to introduce some probiotics into your life. The Allergy Research Group provides a complete range of supplements that will help keep your digestion functioning in tip-top condition and comes with additional benefits such as improved mental functioning, resistance to illness, and more.

One reason we all love the beach is that it makes us feel so good! Using some beach decorations for bathroom settings and improving your health by the use of natural supplements will ensure that you don’t have to wait for summer to come around in order to enjoy some seriously beachy health benefits. 

How to Remove Tar from Carpeting

Posted on February 4, 2020 by Home

Getting tar on your carpet will ruin the appearance of your décor. Luckily, there are a couple of ways to remove this stubborn stain, but you do need to act as quickly as possible. If you need to find out how to remove tar from carpeting, sit down and take a deep breath. You can do this! Just keep calm and carry on.

Method 1: How to Remove Tar from Carpeting with Liquid Soap and Water

First of all, remove as much of the surface tar as you can with a knife or by scraping it off or by blotting it, depending upon how severe the tar is. Then run the vacuum cleaner over it, so that you can remove even more of the residue.

Mix warm water with liquid soap. Apply the mix to the stain working it through in a circular motion moving inwards, so you don’t risk spreading the stain.

Rinse the area with cold water. Repeat the process until the stain has gone. Then leave the carpet to dry overnight. Put down paper towels over the stain to soak up excess water, and vacuum clean when the carpet has dried out.

Method 2: How to Remove Tar from Carpeting with Hydrogen Peroxide

If Method 1 has not worked effectively and there is still a tar stain on your carpet, it is time to call in something stronger. Buy some 3% hydrogen peroxide from your hardware store, and spread this over the carpet stain. Leave in place for one minute, and then rinse off with plenty of water. Leave the carpet overnight to dry off naturally.

Method 3. How to Remove Tar from Carpeting with Carpet Cleaner and Alcohol

As with the other methods, act fast to remove surface tar with a knife, scraping off any excess if possible. Then try out the carpet cleaning products you may have. Hopefully, you will already have cleaned your carpet at some time, but if not, test out the cleaner on an inconspicuous place to ensure it doesn’t cause further damage.

If it is OK, add some rubbing alcohol to the tar stain and carpet cleaner mix, and blot it with a clean cloth. If the stain has been removed, rinse with water and allow it to dry overnight. If the stain is still visible, try spraying some WD40 over the area. This may help remove the stain too.